The Siren's Song
by singntheshower
Summary: Rachel Berry was born to perform. Singing was in her blood - literally. But if she wasn't careful, she could make men fall in love with her. That was the downside to being the daughter of a siren. A/U.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I don't own anything. This story is completely A/U.

The Siren's Song: Chapter One

Rachel Berry was born to perform. She was meant to stand up on the stage and captivate the audience with her voice and hit notes that others only dreamed of hitting. Singing was in her blood – literally.

The first time she received a standing ovation at the age of five, she realized that some of the reactions of the audience members were a bit strange. Some of them cried, but that specific reaction really wasn't _too far_ out of the ordinary since her fathers cried every time she sang.

Things were weird when she saw some of the audience members after the show. They stared at her like they were enamored with her. Some of the boys in the audience looked at her like she was the most beautiful girl on the entire planet.

It wasn't until she was fifteen that she learned why people reacted to her that way. Her dads sat her down and told her the story that would change her life.

When her dad, Hiram, was younger, he fell in love with a woman named Shelby. She was beautiful and had an incredible voice that Hiram fell in love with. Not long after they met, Shelby became pregnant with Hiram's child. Nine months later, she gave birth to a baby girl that they decided to name Rachel.

Shelby was no longer in Rachel's life after leaving when Rachel was only weeks old. She left Hiram after admitting to him what she really was – a siren. Sirens were capable of luring men in with their beautiful voices. Then, the siren typically killed the man and stole his life force to sustain herself. The reason why Shelby didn't kill Hiram was because she loved him, but she couldn't stay with him because she knew that Hiram didn't really fall in love with her; he fell in love with her voice and what it did to him.

Once Shelby left, the siren's spell broke and Hiram finally realized what had happened. And even though Rachel was born out of coerced love, she was still his pride and joy. And when Hiram met Leroy, they became a family.

Sometimes Rachel missed not having a mother in her life. Another part of her was ashamed that her mother made innocent men fall in love with her. Shelby didn't kill Hiram, but Rachel knew that she must have killed other men in her past so that she could keep living.

Thankfully, Rachel was only half siren, so she didn't have to feed off of the life essences of men to survive. However, if she wasn't careful, she could make random men fall in love with her while she performed. During moments when she truly lost herself in a song, her siren abilities would affect those around her, leading the women in the audience to admire her and the men to love her.

That was why Rachel had to be incredibly careful when she performed. And that was also why she was very lonely.

After all, she couldn't be sure if boys had really fallen for her or her voice.

Sometimes, Rachel wished that she didn't fell such a connection to performing. She could live a normal life without the fear of taking someone's will away and making them fall for her. But Rachel was born with the need to be on the stage; she needed to have the spotlight on her and hear the applause after she belted out a beautiful song.

Sometimes, being special truly sucked.

-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-

Rachel wasn't that surprised when she was awarded with the starring role in the winter musical while she was only a freshman in college. Starring roles usually went to upperclassmen at NYU that had more experience. But if Rachel was being honest with herself, she had more talent than any of the upperclassmen.

Plus, she felt a connection to the role of Maria in _West Side Story_ that helped her to nail her audition. She wanted the role so badly that she even considered tapping into her siren powers to impress the female director.

But she didn't; she wanted to win fair and square even though it was incredibly tempting to cheat. Since her conscience was clear, she was even more proud of herself for being chosen to play Maria.

Kurt Hummel, her best gay and one of her few friends, was the costume designer for the musical. They had met earlier that year during an Intro to Jazz class. After Kurt heard Rachel's voice and after Rachel was impressed by Kurt's extensive Broadway vocabulary, they became the best of friends.

"My brother's coming to the opening tonight," Kurt said excitedly. "Our mother is forcing him to record the entire show so that she can see the costumes I made since she can't make it." Rachel was standing in front of him with her arms straight out while he did some last minute alterations on her Maria costume.

"I met him at your birthday party, right?" Rachel asked.

"Yes, you did. Finn Hudson, remember?" Kurt replied. "He was the sophomore here. The freakishly tall one that wore the plaid shirt and gym shoes… That's the only thing he ever wears," Kurt grumbled.

Rachel wracked her brain for a few moments, trying to remember who Finn was among the mass of people she met that night.

Then, she remembered. He was the one who practically knocked her over as he tried to make his way to the kitchen for another drink. She remembered that he _was_ very tall, making her resemble a fifth grader. But he was also very sweet and had gorgeous light brown eyes that she got so easily lost in when they chatted.

"Did you hear what I said?" Kurt asked abruptly, bringing Rachel back from her distracting thoughts.

"Sorry," Rachel said quickly. "What was that?"

"I _said_ that Finn even mentioned that he was excited to hear you sing," Kurt repeated. "He said you talked about performing practically the whole time at my party."

"Which probably annoyed him like it does everyone else," Rachel mumbled.

"Actually, he said it was pretty cool that you were so passionate about something," Kurt replied with a tiny smile on his face.

"It's nice to have _someone_ that appreciates my enthusiasm," Rachel said with a sly smile.

"I appreciate your enthusiasm, Rachel. I just wish you talked about something other than performing," Kurt replied. "I don't know much about you besides the fact that you have two gay dads and that you're from Cincinnati."

"There's not much more to me than that," Rachel replied. "I'm just a simple girl with a simple dream – to be on stage. What more do you need to know?" Kurt stopped sewing for a few seconds and looked at Rachel inquisitively.

"I will find out what you're hiding, Miss Berry," Kurt promised.

"I'm not hiding anything," Rachel insisted using her superb acting skills. She looked down in time to see Kurt roll his eyes.

-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-

The man that starred opposite her (as the Tony to her Maria) was very handsome and very talented. However, she could tell that Blaine Anderson played for Kurt's team. The furtive, flirty glances that he and Kurt gave one another during rehearsals were painfully obvious to Rachel as well. She wished that they'd get together already.

Since Rachel couldn't fall in love, she was always trying to help others find it.

When she saw Kurt and Blaine talking and laughing before the curtain was raised, she smiled widely. But then, when she got her cue, she transformed into Maria and walked onto the stage.

It was during the marriage scene with Blaine that Rachel lost control.

She was completely lost in the romantic-ness of the scene. For just a moment, she was Rachel, the girl that also wanted to fall in love and marry someone some day.

When the song for the scene started, she could feel her siren abilities taking effect, but she couldn't stop them. She completely lost herself in the song, singing like she would if Blaine was actually her lover that she had just married.

Once the scene was over, Rachel fully realized what had happened. She rushed off of the stage, not wanting to see Blaine's reaction to her voice. If she gave him a few minutes, the siren spell should wear off. The rest of the audience wouldn't be hit as strongly as Blaine was, since she was singing to him, but they'd feel it a bit as well.

By the time she joined back up with Blaine for another scene, she was glad to see that he didn't look dazed or anything. She feared that she could make Blaine fall in love with her, like her mother did to her dad, Hiram. Since she knew Kurt liked Blaine, leaving Blaine under her spell would be an ultimate betrayal of friendship. And sure, Blaine was a nice guy, but she didn't want to take his free will away from him. Or anyone, for that matter.

Since Blaine wasn't drooling or following her around like a lost puppy, either Rachel's spell wasn't as powerful as she thought it was, or she wasn't as strong as her mother and couldn't make gay men fall for her. She was really hoping it was the former. Making _anyone_ fall in love with her would be cruel.

During the rest of the musical, Rachel stayed in complete control of her emotions. She acted and sang marvelously, but she didn't lose herself in the role of Maria anymore.

When she received a standing ovation at the end of the show, she wondered how much of it was because of her siren spell.

All Rachel wanted was to be normal. She craved the chance to get a standing ovation because she _earned_ it and not because she forced people to love her.

-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-

"You were fantastic!" Kurt gushed after Rachel left the stage for the final time that night. Rachel plastered a fake, yet convincing, smile on her face, knowing that Kurt's reaction might not be genuine. He was probably hit by the siren spell, too, but instead of falling in love with her, he fell in love with her voice.

"Thank you, Kurt," Rachel said brightly. Kurt looked around her and spotted Blaine, rushing forward to give him a hug. Rachel smiled sweetly and went to change out of her costume. On the way to the dressing room, she received so many compliments that it was starting to get on her nerves. She felt like they had no control over what they said and it wasn't fair. It was times like this when she really hated the fact that she was half siren.

By the time she was done changing into her clothes, most of the audience had left. She walked up the auditorium stairs toward the exit, enjoying the quiet.

"You were amazing," she heard a voice from behind her say. She turned and smiled when she saw Finn Hudson standing there. He had a video camera in his hand and Rachel remembered that he was there to record the show.

"Thank you, Finn," she said, glad that Kurt had reminded her of his name earlier.

"I mean, you said you could sing, but that was… wow," he said with a chuckle. Rachel's smile faltered for a second. He was probably under the spell.

"Again, thank you," she said. Finn then suddenly looked nervous and ran his free hand over the back of his neck.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked, sounding unsure.

"Of course," Rachel replied, feeling curious.

"Do you… would you like to go out with me? For dinner or something?" he asked with a hopeful smile. Rachel figured he had just gotten hit by her siren's spell. "I mean, you were pretty cool at Kurt's party and I just want to get to know you better."

"Finn, I'm honored that you'd ask me, but I can't," she said, sadness lacing her tone. Finn's face turned blank. "You see, I'm just really busy with this play and classes and everything and don't really have the time right now…"

"Oh," Finn muttered. "Maybe next time then?" he asked.

"Yeah, maybe," Rachel said shyly. She didn't want to give him a definite no and hurt his feelings, but she didn't want to give him a yes. He was under a spell. This wasn't real.

"I'll, uh… I'll see you around then," he said awkwardly.

"Okay," Rachel replied. Finn smiled at her before turning on his heel and walking away.

She hated the fact that she felt like she had just kicked a puppy by turning Finn down. He was one of the sweetest guys she'd ever met, but agreeing to go out with him while he was under a spell just wouldn't be fair. He wouldn't feel this way about her tomorrow. She was sure of it.

-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-

"My brother's _still_ asking about you," Kurt said a week later. Rachel had controlled herself through all of her other performances and no one acted strangely like they had opening night. So why was Finn still interested in her?

"I don't have the time to see anyone, Kurt," Rachel insisted. They were sitting in the library, looking up sources for their research papers for a history class.

"I call bullshit," Kurt said quickly. "I'm involved with the play just like you are and we practically have the same class schedule, and yet I still had the time to go out with Blaine two nights ago." Rachel was quiet for a few moments. He had her there.

"I'm just not the dating type," Rachel replied calmly. Kurt chuckled.

"_Everyone's_ the dating type," he replied. "Some people are just too scared to take the chance." Rachel shrugged. "What are you afraid of then?" Kurt asked. Rachel huffed and looked up from her history book.

"Kurt, you and I both know that once people get to know me, they typically don't like me," she said matter-of-factly.

"But I like you," Kurt replied. "And Blaine does, too."

"That's because the two of you are exceptions," she said with a small smile.

"Finn likes you," Kurt insisted. "He talked about you after my party, telling me how 'awesome' he thought you were," Kurt said, using air quotes. "And then he was practically smitten after he saw you in the musical."

"Of course he was," Rachel muttered. He was under her siren's spell.

"What?" Kurt asked.

"Nothing," Rachel replied quickly.

"My point is, people already like you," Kurt insisted. "And Finn could, you know… _more than like you_ if you give him the chance." Rachel looked at Kurt incredulously.

"Why are you pushing this?" she asked.

"Because you told me you've had _one_ boyfriend," Kurt replied. "And all of my brother's relationships haven't gone so well. I want to see the both of you happy and I think that could happen."

"And what if it doesn't?" Rachel asked. "What if this whole thing ends disastrously?"

_Or what if he doesn't really like me and my siren powers are only making him think that he does?_ she added mentally.

"No one ever knows how a relationship is going to go," Kurt said softly. "Blaine and I are taking the chance. I think you and Finn should, too."

Rachel looked into Kurt's eyes and could tell that he was really sincere. It didn't make _any_ sense that Finn was still asking about her and thinking about her. Her mom had to sing to her dad every so often to make sure that he stayed under her spell. Finn hadn't heard Rachel sing in a week or so and her power wasn't as strong as her mom's.

Could this have been real?

She had to take the chance.

"You can give him my number," Rachel huffed. Kurt squealed so loudly that the occupants of the tables around them glared at him.

"Sorry," he mouthed. Then, he quickly pulled out his phone and sent a text before setting it on the tabletop. "There. Finn now has your number," Kurt said with a smile.

Rachel laughed lightly and returned her attention back to her paper.

-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-

Rachel nervously smoothed her dark blue dress down, glad that she didn't have a roommate that would certainly make fun of her for how silly she was being. Rachel checked her hair in the mirror at least ten times and brushed her teeth twice before a knock on her door made her jump in surprise.

Rachel smiled to herself and took a deep breath before walking quickly to her door.

Her hand was shaking as she put it on the handle, but she ignored the nerves and opened the door.

Finn was standing there, wearing a light blue button down shirt and some jeans with a thick jacket. He was also holding a single lily in his hand.

"You look amazing," he said breathlessly, taking in Rachel's look from head to toe.

"You're quite handsome yourself," Rachel replied with a shy smile. Finn blushed a bit and then looked down, seeming to forget that he was holding the flower. He held it out to her.

"This is for you," he said, smiling so that Rachel could see his dimples.

"Thank you," she replied softly. "Lilies are my favorite."

"Kurt told me," Finn chuckled, making Rachel laugh. "Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Yes," Rachel said quickly. "Just let me grab my coat." She stepped backward into her room. "You can come in if you want."

Finn nodded and walked inside her dorm room and started looking around.

"Your room kinda looks like mine," Finn observed. "Except for yours is cleaner… and pinker…" Rachel laughed again and grabbed her coat out of her tiny closet. "Let me help you with that," Finn said quickly, walking over to her and grabbing the coat out of her hands.

"Thank you, Finn," Rachel said as he helped put the coat on her. "You're so chivalrous."

"That's a good thing, right?" he asked.

"Yes," Rachel said, blush covering her cheeks. "That's definitely a good thing."

Finn led her to the elevator and let her inside first, further making her blush.

"We're going to a movie," Finn said as the elevator descended. "I hope that's okay."

"That's fine," Rachel replied.

"And I was thinking we could stop and get some hot chocolate or something after the movie," he continued.

"That sounds perfect," Rachel said with another shy smile.

He let her pick the movie, and she surprised him by picking _The Avengers_. She figured it was only fair since he paid for everything and wouldn't let Rachel even open up a door for herself. She had to remind herself to ask Kurt if Finn was always so chivalrous.

She ended up enjoying the movie more than she thought she would. She and Finn were laughing almost the entire time, and the action sequences were pretty impressive. The movie managed to get even better when Finn grabbed her hand. She intertwined her fingers with his without even a second thought. She thought that it would feel awkward between them, but holding hands with Finn felt normal… and wonderful.

"That was seriously awesome," Finn said for the tenth time as he opened the door to the coffee shop for Rachel.

"I agree," Rachel giggled. She picked out a tiny table in a quiet corner and Finn sat across from her.

"Do you want anything?" he asked.

"You've already spent enough tonight," Rachel replied. "I can buy my own beverage."

"It's fine," Finn said quickly. "What would you like?"

"A black coffee would be great," Rachel relented. Finn nodded and stood up.

"Coming right up," he said with an adorable half smile. As he walked away, Rachel found herself getting this warm, tingly feeling in her stomach. Finn was sweet, a gentleman, and adorable. His little jokes were more terrible than funny, but he delivered them with such enthusiasm that she laughed anyway.

For the first time in too long, Rachel found herself enjoying the company of a boy in a romantic way. There was still that little part of her in the back of her mind that wondered if all of this was real or not. Well, she knew her feelings toward Finn were real, but were his?

It both excited and scared her that she could see herself falling for Finn.

"Here you go," Finn said, bringing her thoughts back to the present. He set her coffee cup directly in front of her. She smiled at him as he sat down.

"Thank you," she said gratefully.

"It's no big deal," he insisted with a smile. A few moments passed in a comfortable silence. "You got un-busy pretty quick," Finn observed. "I mean, you said you were busy with the play and stuff and you couldn't go out with me, but it's still going on for another week."

Rachel blushed a bit. "I think you know that was a lie," she mumbled.

"Oh, I did," Finn said cheekily. "I thought you were trying to shoot me down nicely, so I was really surprised when you told Kurt to give me your number." Rachel glanced up at him and noticed that he simply looked curious.

"I was just… scared," she admitted quietly.

"Of what?" Finn asked softly. She quickly decided to tell him the truth… well, part of it. The whole truth would send him running out of the coffee shop without so much as a 'goodbye.'

"Not many people like me," she said, keeping her eyes glued to the table. "I talk about myself a lot and Kurt insists that I'm high maintenance and annoying at times. I thought that if you got to know the real me, you wouldn't like what you saw." She jumped a bit when she felt something touch her hand. She looked up and saw that Finn's hand was gently covering hers.

"I like you," he murmured. Rachel smiled widely.

"I like you, too," she replied.

They talked until the coffee shop was closing for the night, surprised that it was after two in the morning. Finn knew all about her life growing up in Cincinnati, including her turbulent time in high school that included being bullied.

Well, he knew everything except for the details about being a siren.

And Rachel knew all about Finn's high school career, from him being the star quarterback of his football team in Lima to his near obsession with drumming. All in all, he was one of the most genuine and kind people that she had ever met.

She held onto his arm as they made their way back to her dorm building. Finn shared more of his corny jokes with her, making her laugh harder than she thought she would.

"I can honestly say that this has been the best first date that I've ever been on," Rachel said once they came to a stop outside of her dorm room.

"Same here," Finn replied with his adorable half smile. "Can I see you again?"

"I'd love that," she insisted. "You have my number."

"I'll give you a call soon," he said. He then leaned forward and kissed her cheek, causing her heart to start pounding. "Goodnight," he said after pulling away.

"Goodnight," Rachel replied, a little dazed. Finn chuckled before turning away to go back down the hallway.

"Finn, wait," she called. He turned and looked at her confusedly. She decided to throw caution to the wind and give this boy a proper goodnight kiss.

Rachel rushed forward and wrapped an arm around his neck, pulling him down gently toward her. She stood on her tiptoes and brought her lips to his, kissing him softly. Finn pulled away just a little before leaning back in again. The second kiss was longer than the first, but was still chaste and perfect.

"I prefer your goodnight kiss over mine," Finn murmured. Rachel giggled and settled back down on her feet. The butterflies were flying around her stomach at full force, almost taking her breath away.

"Me, too," she replied shyly. She then walked backwards and stopped once she was at her door again. "I'll see you soon." Finn smiled before turning away and walking down the hallway.

Rachel smiled and bit her lip before pulling her keys out of her jacket pocket. Once she was inside, she leaned against the door and laughed.

Finn might or might not have been under her spell, but she was definitely under his.

TBC

-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-

A/N: Do you love it? Hate it? Should I keep going or slap myself in the face for writing this? Please let me know! Nonetheless, thanks for reading :)


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I still own nothing except for my words.

The Siren's Song: Chapter Two

"Can you put your phone down for five minutes?" Kurt asked exasperatedly. Rachel rolled her eyes before typing a message to Finn and sending it. She then set the phone down on the desk and glared at Kurt. They were early for their Intro to Jazz class and were waiting for the professor and the rest of the students to show up.

"Are you happy?" she asked.

"Ecstatic," Kurt deadpanned.

"I don't know why you're complaining so much," Rachel commented. "You talk to Blaine just as much as I talk to Finn."

"That may be true, but at least I listen to you when you're talking," Kurt replied.

"I've been listening the entire time," Rachel insisted.

"Then where did I say Blaine took me last night?" Kurt challenged. Rachel opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again. She held up a finger to ask Kurt to give her a moment.

"Got it! The mall!" Rachel said with a smug smile. Kurt glared at her.

"You and I both know that was a lucky guess," he replied.

"But I was still right," Rachel pointed out. Her phone vibrated and she went to pick it up, put Kurt's hand covered it.

"You lasted about thirty seconds," he laughed. "I asked if you could put your phone down for five minutes."

"Fine. I won't touch it," she said defiantly. Kurt laughed again and pulled his hand away.

"I swear, you've been obsessed with my brother for the last two weeks," Kurt said.

"Obsessed is a strong word," Rachel murmured.

"Well, between the two of you, I'm starting to regret insisting that you start dating," Kurt replied.

"I'm happy, Kurt," Rachel said. "I thought that's what you wanted."

"It _is_, but if I have to listen to you talk about Finn's freckles or sit there while he talks about how soft your hair is, I'm going to go crazy," Kurt huffed.

"Wh-what else does he say about me?" Rachel asked, trying not to smile.

"I'm not going there," Kurt replied quickly.

"Oh _come on_! I listen to you talk about Blaine all the time! But I think it's cute that you like him so much. _I'm_ not cranky when you gush about him," Rachel said.

"I do not _gush_ about him," Kurt insisted. Rachel raised her eyebrow in disbelief. "Well, I don't gush as much as you do," he retorted.

"That's because there's more to gush about with Finn," Rachel replied with a smirk.

"We are not going to sit here and compare my boyfriend to your… whatever my brother is to you," Kurt stated. He was quiet for a moment. "Why haven't you two made it official yet?" Kurt asked in a curious tone. "You've been going out almost every other night and talking and texting all day…"

"I'm not sure," Rachel murmured. "I think he just doesn't want to rush things."

Rachel and Kurt looked up just as people came into the room. When someone sat next to Kurt and started asking him about the homework assignment, Rachel picked up her phone and opened the message from Finn.

_You make me happy_.

The butterflies started flying in Rachel's stomach and she smiled widely.

_I've never been happier_, she texted back.

-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-

Rachel sat in the coffee shop where she and Finn had part of their first date. She even sat at the same table, sipping on a coffee. She was supposed to be reading a chapter in her history textbook, but couldn't stop thinking about Finn.

She hadn't sung anywhere around him since that night during the play, so he wasn't under her spell or anything. Rachel still couldn't quite understand how someone like Finn could be interested in her; she was still the same person that she was in high school where no one really liked her. But now, Finn acted like she was this amazing person; it didn't make any sense.

But Finn truly was an amazing person, so Rachel wondered why he hadn't found someone else to be with. For some bizarre reason, he wanted to be with her. Well, not officially yet, but she was happy with how things were.

For the past two and a half weeks, Rachel's feelings toward Finn had only been growing stronger. She was falling for him; it was effortless and terrifying at the same time.

"Hey, babe," she heard someone say softly. Rachel looked up and realized it was Finn. She smiled widely just as he bent down and kissed her on the cheek.

"How was your day?" Rachel asked. She watched as he pulled his backpack off and sat across from her.

"Boring," Finn chuckled. "Plus, I have tons of homework to do."

"Me, too," Rachel replied, glancing at her history textbook.

"So, my buddy asked me who I was texting so much," Finn began.

"Okay," Rachel said confusedly.

"Well, it was you, but instead of saying your name, I just said I was talking to my girlfriend," Finn said. He looked up at Rachel nervously.

"You did?" she asked, her voice going up an octave.

"Uh, yeah," Finn muttered. "And I was thinking… I kinda liked the sound of it, you know? Calling you my girlfriend, I mean." Rachel could feel the blood rush to her cheeks as she blushed. "Was… is that okay?" Finn asked. Rachel cleared her throat lightly.

"I would love nothing more than to be called your girlfriend," she replied with a smile. Finn then smiled widely and reached across the table to grab her hand.

"Awesome," he replied excitedly. "So I'm your boyfriend then…"

"That's usually how it works," Rachel teased. Her heart was pounding and she had never been happier than at that moment. Finn really wanted to be with her. She didn't understand it, but she was ecstatic about it. She'd be sure to call Kurt tonight.

"You wanna go out tomorrow?" Finn asked. "It'll be the first time we've gone out as boyfriend and girlfriend." That thought made Rachel smile even more widely.

"I would love to," she replied happily.

Finn and Rachel then spent the evening doing homework together in the coffee shop. They blushed and smiled at each other when they caught one another staring.

-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-

"It was perfect," Rachel whispered to Kurt excitedly. She and Finn had gone out the previous night to a vegan restaurant that Finn took the time to find just for her. Now, she was with Kurt in their history class, whispering back and forth to one another so their classmates couldn't hear them.

"What did you do afterwards?" Kurt asked quietly.

"We went back to my dorm and watched a movie," she said, smiling. She and Finn had laid on her bed with one another; her head was on his chest and his arm wrapped tightly around her. Finn even admitted that _Funny Girl_ was a pretty good movie.

"Did you do anything after that?" Kurt inquired. He watched as Rachel's cheeks grew red. "Rachel Berry, did you sleep with my brother?" Kurt whispered harshly.

"No," she replied quickly. "We didn't go _that_ far, Kurt." She and Finn had kissed, more hotly than they ever had before. She was a little confused when Finn muttered something before pulling away, but she still thought that last night was perfect.

"Have you gotten to the awkward and embarrassing conversation about exes yet?" Kurt asked.

"Finn has told me about his girlfriend in high school," Rachel replied, frowning automatically.

"Quinn Fabray," Kurt said, nodding. "Not his finest moment when he decided to date her…"

"She sounded terrible!" Rachel whispered. "Finn's too good of a person to deal with someone as controlling and manipulative as she was."

"You should have seen her around prom season," Kurt said with a shudder. "Thank goodness he _finally _found out she was cheating on him." Rachel nodded sadly.

She _was_ glad that Finn was no longer in such a toxic relationship, but she was upset that Finn was hurt so badly back then. Finn had told her that Quinn cheated on him with his best friend. So not only did Finn lose a girlfriend, but he lost the person he was closest to as well. It _almost_ made her previous relationship look flawless.

Rachel started to think about her ex, Jesse, but then forced herself to focus on what Kurt was talking about. Thinking about Jesse hurt too much.

Minutes later, the history professor walked into the room, so Kurt and Rachel made themselves pay attention to the lesson.

-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-

THREE WEEKS LATER

"Did you like the banana bread I baked you?" Rachel asked as they walked through the park close to campus. Her arm was wrapped around his and they walked right next to one another. It was winter, so there was a chill in the air, but Rachel insisted that a walk would be romantic.

"Yeah. It was awesome," Finn replied with the half smile that Rachel loved. She smiled back and bumped her nose into his arm before looking forward again. The next minute was comfortably silent as they walked slowly past a swing set.

"Kurt told me you had an ex-boyfriend," Finn said abruptly. Rachel looked up at him in confusion.

"What about him?" Rachel asked.

"I was just wondering why you never told me about him," Finn said with a shrug. "I mean, I told you all about Quinn and that girl that I dated for, like, two days at the beginning of my freshman year."

"I just didn't think it was a big deal," Rachel replied.

"Oh," Finn murmured.

"Why are you so curious about it?" Rachel asked a moment later. Finn shrugged again.

"Just wanna see what kind of guy you dated before," he replied.

"Sizing up the competition?" Rachel joked.

"Maybe," Finn replied with a chuckle.

"Well, don't worry," Rachel said comfortingly. "You and Jesse aren't even in the same league. You're so much better for me than he ever was."

"I'm guessing it was a messy breakup then…" Finn muttered. Rachel didn't want to talk about it, but Finn deserved to know. He was her boyfriend now and she didn't want to keep secrets from him.

Well, she still couldn't tell him about being half siren…

Okay, so she didn't want to keep more than one secret from him.

She spotted a bench under a tree and led him over toward it. They both sat down so closely that their thighs were touching. Rachel took a deep breath.

"It turned out that Jesse was only after one thing," Rachel announced.

"Do you mean what I think you mean?" Finn asked.

"Yes," Rachel replied. "Once I slept with him, he broke up with me. He said it wasn't working out anymore even though I thought things were fine between us." Finn wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him.

"Sorry," he said before kissing the top of her head.

"It was a long time ago," Rachel said. She looked up at Finn and smiled at him, letting him know that she was okay. "And now, I'm incredibly happy. That's all that matters."

Finn smiled a bit before glancing at Rachel's lips. He then leaned closer toward her. When their lips met, Rachel felt herself turn into a puddle of goo. Kissing Finn was like nothing she'd ever felt before. Her lips tingled and her body turned warm every time his lips met hers. And when he started kissing her neck, like he had so many times before, she felt like ripping both of their clothes off.

But before things could get _that_ far on a public bench, Rachel pulled away gently. Finn rested his forehead against hers, his breathing slightly accelerated.

"I think I love you," he breathed. Rachel pulled away from him and sat up straight, completely in shock.

"Are-are you sure?" she asked. Finn smiled widely and nodded. "But… But I talk too much. And I _know_ that I'm annoying and strange with all of my little charts and time tables. And I talk about Broadway more than I should, and you don't even like it!" Finn surprised her by chuckling.

"You're not gonna talk me out of it, Rach," he replied. He reached out and cupped her cheek. "And I like the way you dream so big. I don't know how to do that." Rachel blushed and looked down at the ground. "But if I had the talent that you had, I'd talk about being on Broadway all the time, too." Rachel looked back up at Finn.

"You're studying to be a teacher, Finn," Rachel said. "That's more admirable than wanting to be a performer. It's almost selfish of me to want people to appreciate my talent…"

"No, it's not," Finn insisted. "You make people happy when you perform, Rach. I watch that video of _West Side Story_ all the time and watching you in that show makes me happy."

Rachel's eyes widened. If he had been watching that video the whole time…

He was still under her siren's spell.

None of this was real.

"When was the last time you watched it?" Rachel asked edgily.

"Like, two nights ago," Finn replied. "Why?" Rachel shook her head. Her vision started to become blurry as tears filled her eyes. "Rachel, what's wrong?" Finn asked in alarm. He reached out to touch her, but she pulled away from him.

"I can't do this anymore, Finn," Rachel said, her voice shaking.

"Can't do what?" Finn asked in confusion.

"I… I can't be a couple with you," she choked.

"But… was it something I said?" he asked frantically. "'Cause whatever I did, I'm sorry." The tears fell down Rachel's cheeks and she quickly wiped them away.

"You didn't do anything," Rachel said quickly. She abruptly stood up and pulled her jacket tightly around her. "This entire thing is my fault," she cried.

Before Finn could even respond, Rachel started running away from him as fast as she could.

Rachel didn't get far before she felt a hand wrap around her upper arm. She turned and Finn was standing there, looking confused and hurt.

"Rachel, can you please tell me what's going on?" he begged. She sniffled and shook her head.

"I can't," she cried. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me," he insisted. Rachel dropped her head into her hands. If she told him, he'd think she was crazy! But did she have a choice? It certainly didn't feel like she did.

She looked back up at him with tear-filled eyes.

"Promise me that you'll listen to everything I say before freaking out. Okay?" Rachel asked. Finn swallowed but nodded firmly. She then took a deep breath.

"I'm a siren," she blurted. "Well, my mother's a siren, so I'm only half siren, but… _That's_ the reason why you think you love me. You're under a spell, Finn. None of this is real. You heard me sing and you've been listening to my performance and that's why you're feeling this way."

Finn scrutinized her closely, but didn't look like he was freaking out at all.

"Are you done?" he asked. Rachel was a bit taken aback.

"Y-yes," she stuttered. She watched Finn, expecting him to turn and run away at any moment.

"I thought you might have been one when I heard you sing," he admitted. "Well, then the guy sitting next to me turned to me and said that he loved you… That was kind of weird, but it sorta makes sense now…"

"Wait. What?" Rachel asked quickly.

"I mean, I could tell that you weren't bad or anything," Finn insisted. "You're not like the other ones I've seen."

"_The other ones_?" Rachel asked in confusion. She thought _he_ would be freaking out, and _she_ was starting to hyperventilate. Finn reached out and grabbed her shoulders gently.

"Babe, calm down," he said soothingly.

"How-how do you know about sirens?" Rachel asked.

"My dad used to hunt them," Finn admitted. "He was part of this… group that hunted them. He brought me along a few times when I was younger. He wanted me to hunt them, too."

"Hold on," Rachel said, shaking her head. "Sirens are _hunted_?"

"C'mon, Rach," Finn replied. "Do you really think people would let something get away with killing innocent guys?"

"I can't believe this," she gasped. "Then why in the _world _are you with me?"

"I told you already. I could tell you weren't bad, Rachel," Finn said softly. "The other ones are meaner and trick guys into falling for them right away before killing them." He was quiet for a few seconds. "Have you… you haven't killed anyone, have you?" he asked nervously.

"Of course not!" Rachel said, sounding offended. "I don't have to kill to survive. And even if I had to, I wouldn't do it!"

"That's good to hear," Finn chuckled.

"I still can't believe you're taking this so well," Rachel said, still sounding shocked. Finn shrugged.

"It kinda works out. I mean, I can't really explain to others how my dad died," Finn replied. "I just tell them he had cancer… but I can tell you the truth. And I'm probably one of the few people that you can tell the truth to."

"Your dad's dead?" she asked quietly. Finn nodded.

"A siren killed him when I was ten," he replied. Rachel could hear the twinge of sadness in his tone.

"Then I'm the _last_ person you should want to be with!" Rachel practically shouted.

"Why? Because you're half siren?" Finn asked. Rachel nodded firmly. "But you said you've never even hurt anyone. It would be different if you were out there making guys fall in love with you and killing them and stuff." Rachel was flustered for a second.

"That doesn't change the fact that you're under my spell right now!" Rachel insisted. "What you're feeling isn't real."

"I'm not under any spell," Finn said confidently.

"Oh, and how do you know that?" Rachel asked, crossing her arms across her chest. Finn reached into his pocket and pulled out a small stone. It was small and pink in color and very shiny.

"Am I supposed to know what that is?" Rachel asked.

"This rock protects the person that carries it from the siren's spell," Finn explained. "My dad gave it to me when we were hunting a siren. He wanted me to be safe, you know?... That was the night he died though. Looks like he needed it more than me." Finn's voice was somber now and it made Rachel's heart break.

She stepped forward and placed her hand on his arm comfortingly.

"I really am sorry," she said. Finn smiled slightly before placing the stone back in his pocket.

"I know you are," he replied.

"So… this is all real then?" she asked.

"Yeah," Finn said. "I really do love you."

"But isn't it too soon?" Rachel asked, pulling her hand back from his arm. "We've only been officially a couple for twenty three days, Finn!"

"You would know the exact number of days it's been," Finn chuckled. Rachel glared at him before smacking his chest lightly. "Rach, I know how I feel. And now I know everything about you. How could I not love you?"

"Because I'm crazy," she insisted quietly. Finn laughed again and took step forward. He wrapped his arms around Rachel's waist, pulling her closer to him.

"You're not crazy. You're Rachel," he replied. He kissed her on top of the head.

"And how is that supposed to make me feel better?" she grumbled.

"Because I love you," Finn replied. Rachel was quiet for a moment.

"That does help a little," she admitted. She then peeked up in time to see Finn smile widely. Since she was so close to him, she felt the rumble in his chest as he laughed. That was when she knew.

"I love you, too," she whispered. Finn stopped laughing and looked down at her. She could swear his smiled reached his eyes. Rachel stood on her tiptoes the same second that Finn bent down slightly toward her.

The kiss was as innocent and perfect as their first one.

-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-

A week later, Rachel was in her dorm room packing for Christmas vacation. Finn was lounging on her bed, watching her squeeze as much stuff into her suitcase as possible. She had already said goodbye to Kurt earlier that morning and was not looking forward to leaving Finn.

"I'm going to miss you," Rachel said with a pout.

"You already said that," Finn chuckled.

"It's still true," she replied.

"If it helps, I'll miss you, too" Finn said. Rachel smiled at him before returning her attention back to the task at hand.

"I am excited to see my dads though," Rachel admitted. "They were a little upset when I mentioned that I'd be cutting my time with them short." She and Finn had decided to leave their parents' homes a week early to spend New Year's Eve together on campus.

"Do you not want to have New Year's with me anymore?" Finn asked.

"That's not what I meant," Rachel said quickly. "I'm honestly looking forward to celebrating the New Year more than Hanukkah."

"But are your dads mad that your boyfriend is stealing you away?" Finn asked with a smirk.

"They're actually very happy for me," Rachel replied. "And they can't wait to meet you." Finn's smile then dropped from his face and he suddenly looked nervous. Rachel laughed. "Finn, they're both very nice people," she insisted. "There's nothing to worry about."

"Easy for you to say," Finn scoffed. "You don't have to meet two angry dads that are worried about their daughter being taken advantage of."

"Finn," Rachel said patiently. "I have already told them how wonderful you are and how you'd never rush me into something I wasn't ready for."

"But Jesse probably told them the same thing and then he treated you like shit," Finn countered.

"The main difference between you and Jesse is that I _love_ you," Rachel replied. "I know you better than I ever knew him and my dads are well aware of that. And you don't even have to meet them for a while, so don't freak out unnecessarily until you have to."

"Fine," Finn grumbled. Rachel rolled her eyes and continued packing.

Her little pink suitcase was so full that she had to sit on it while Finn zipped it up. He then carried it down to his car for her, being as chivalrous as ever. Rachel was taking a train home, so Finn offered to drive her to the train station. How could she deny a ride from her sweet, handsome boyfriend?

Finn carried her suitcase to the train and even up the stairs. He came back down and Rachel smiled at him sadly.  
"Babe, you'll see me in two weeks," Finn said. "And if you need anything, Lima's not that far from Cincinnati." Rachel wrapped her arms around his midsection and hugged him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her in return and they just held one another.

"I know that," she murmured.

"You can call and text me every day," he said comfortingly. "And let me know when you're online and we can video chat."

"I'm still going to miss you," she replied.

"I know," he replied softly. She looked up at him and noticed that he was frowning just a bit, too. It warmed her heart that he didn't want her to leave either.

"I love you," she said, the words bringing a smile to her face. The words worked on Finn and he smiled back.

"I love you, too, Rach," he replied. Then, like it was perfectly rehearsed, she reached up the same time that he bent down and their lips met for a sweet kiss. Realizing that they weren't going to see each other for two weeks, Rachel gently slipped her tongue out and licked his bottom lip. Finn opened his mouth quickly and their tongues began to swirl around one another.

The train whistle blew impatiently and Rachel regretfully pulled away from Finn.

He looked a little dazed and she laughed lightly.

"That's one hell of a goodbye," he muttered with a sly smirk.

"Our hello should be even better," she teased. Finn's eyes widened and Rachel reached up to peck his lips once more. "Drive safe," she said firmly.

"I'm driving with Kurt in the car. He won't let me do anything remotely dangerous," Finn reassured her.

"Good," Rachel replied with a smile. "But I want you to call me as soon as you make it home."

"I will," he promised. Rachel extracted herself from his arms and backed away toward the train. When she got to the stairs, she climbed them. She glanced backwards one last time and shot Finn a smile that he easily returned.

When she got to her seat, she looked out the window and spotted Finn quickly. He raised his hand and waved. Rachel waved eagerly back before pulling out her cell phone. She typed Finn a quick message before putting the phone back in her lap. She looked back out the window and watched as Finn pulled his phone out of his pocket. He read the message and she saw him laugh before he typed a reply.

Moments later, Rachel's phone vibrated.

_I love you too :)_ it read. She looked up quickly when the train lurched forward. She spotted Finn once more and placed her hand on the window. He smiled at her as the train started gaining momentum. Rachel looked outside and kept her hand on the window until she couldn't Finn anymore.

-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-

After the eighteen hour train ride, Rachel decided that she'd just drive back to New York City since it would probably take less time. She called for a cab from the train station and waited for it as patiently as she could. It was already dark outside, so she knew that her fathers would be anxiously waiting for her to come home.

The cab showed up and the polite cabbie helped her place her suitcase in the trunk before driving her home. She smiled excitedly while they turned onto her street. It really was nice to be home after an entire semester in another city.

There were only a few stairs that she had to tote her heavy suitcase up, but she was still breathing heavily by the time she unlocked the front door.

"Dad? Daddy?" she called out. Once her suitcase was inside, she closed the door and locked it. The house was dark, which surprised Rachel. She thought her fathers would still be awake and waiting for her. She turned on the living room light before walking toward the kitchen. The light was off in there, too.

She then wondered if her dads were in bed.

_Maybe they forgot I was coming home tonight_, she wondered.

She turned on the light before climbing the carpeted stairs. Her fathers' door was closed. She knocked on it lightly and waited for one of them to let her in.

Half a minute passed before she decided to just open the door and wake them up herself. Rachel wasn't known for being patient.

"Daddy?" she called. Hiram usually woke up more easily than Leroy did. She walked over to the bed and shook her daddy gently. "Daddy, I'm home," she said.

Something didn't feel right. She walked back over to the door and switched the light on. She was about to turn back toward the bed when something caught her eye.

There was a folded piece of paper taped onto the mirror. Rachel walked forward and grabbed it before unfolding it quickly.

_We will find the half siren._

Goosebumps littered Rachel's skin. She didn't know who left the note, but they knew about Rachel's secret, so it couldn't have been good. She shook her head before turning back toward her fathers.

Then, her stomach dropped the same instant that she felt like the world had stopped spinning.

Her fathers were both laying in bed.

They were scarily pale.

And had blood and bullet holes in their skulls.

"Dad? Daddy?" Rachel gasped in a child-like voice.

TBC

-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-

A/N: Please leave a review and tell me what you think! You can also leave me a review on Twitter ( singntheshower). Thanks so much for reading :)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Shoutout to esmee1368x on Twitter for being so awesome and helping me out! The response to this story has been awesome and the reviews you have left for me have been so kind and I greatly appreciate them!

Sadly, I still own nothing.

The Siren's Song: Chapter Three

The police officers asked Rachel a few questions, but then left her alone when she insisted that she didn't know anything. The note that someone left on the mirror in her dads' room was still in her pocket. For some reason, she knew that she shouldn't tell the officers about it. After all, it referred to her as a half siren.

Surprisingly, Rachel hadn't cried yet. But she felt numb. Totally and completely numb. The officers around her were talking to the medical examiner, but she couldn't hear a thing they were saying. Rachel sat on her bed in her room while the officers took pictures of the crime scene.

Crime scene.

This was all too much.

She had a clear view of the hallway from her bed and watched helplessly as the bodies of her fathers were taken down the stairs in body bags. She dropped her head into her hands, which she was surprised to find were shaking.

The entire time, she couldn't stop thinking about the note. Someone had come to the house, looking for her, and had killed her dads when they couldn't find her. Rachel couldn't help but feel like this was her fault.

She jumped when someone placed a hand on her shoulder. Rachel looked up quickly and saw a kind-looking female police officer smiling sadly at her.

"We're done here for the night," the woman said. Rachel nodded woodenly. "We're going to leave an officer outside of your house to keep an eye on things." Rachel gave another nod. "I'm very sorry for your loss."

"Thank you," Rachel murmured. The police officer squeezed Rachel's shoulder affectionately before walking away.

Rachel heard the voices downstairs diminish until the front door closed and she couldn't hear anyone anymore.

She was all alone.

-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-

Rachel wasn't sure exactly how long she sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the wall. It was still dark outside, so she guessed that it was very early in the morning. She knew it was rude to call, but she needed someone to tell her what to do. Her dads were her only family, so she'd never experienced anyone close to her dying before.

Rachel picked her phone up off of her pillow, where she had tossed it after calling the police. She scrolled through her contacts until she came across one of the few people that she knew would answer her call and help her this early in the morning.

"Hello?" the groggy voice asked.

"Finn?" Rachel said, sounding hoarse.

"Rach? It's, like, almost four in the morning. What's going on?" he asked, his voice becoming more alert.

"I need you," she practically whispered.

"I'm right here," Finn replied. "What's wrong?"

"M-my dads are dead," she murmured.

"What? What happened?" he asked, sounding more alert than before.

"I came home and they…" Rachel's voice broke off as she finally started crying. Violent sobs ripped from her throat and she couldn't even hear Finn trying to calm her down. Rachel fell backwards onto the bed, sobbing and gasping for air.

Finn couldn't get her to respond to him, but he could plainly hear her bawling on the other end of the line. He jumped out of bed and pulled his door open before practically running across the hallway toward Kurt's room.

Without even knocking, he opened the door and rushed to Kurt's side.

"Kurt, get up," he said hurriedly. Kurt moaned and tried to swat at him, but Finn reached down and shook his shoulder with his free hand. "This is serious, dude. I need you get up." The tone of Finn's voice made Kurt open his eyes and look up at him curiously. He saw Finn standing there, with a worried look on his face and his phone to his ear.

"What is it?" Kurt asked, sitting up slowly.

"Rachel just called and told me her dads are dead," Finn replied, the sadness in his tone obvious.

"Are you serious?" Kurt asked. Finn nodded. "Give me your phone," he demanded. Finn handed the phone over and Kurt put it to his ear, only to hear Rachel sobbing and gasping for air. "Rachel, can you hear me?" Kurt asked. "It's Kurt, Rachel." She didn't respond and only continued weeping.

"What do we do?" Finn asked. Kurt cupped his hand over the bottom of the phone so Rachel couldn't hear him.

"We need to get down to Cincinnati," Kurt decided quickly. "Rachel doesn't have any family down there."

"Like, right now?" Finn asked.

"No, Finn. I thought we'd wait a couple of days so I can enjoy my vacation," Kurt replied sarcastically. Finn glared at him. "Go pack some stuff. I'll try and get her to talk." Finn nodded and ran out of Kurt's room and back into his. Finn grabbed his suitcase, which he had just unpacked earlier that day, and began throwing things back into it. He didn't know how long they'd be down there with Rachel, but she had a washer and dryer, right?

He then stopped for a moment and mentally slapped himself for worrying about having clean clothes. His girlfriend's dads just died; he should be more focused on getting to her as soon as possible. Finn tossed his toothbrush and other stuff into the bag and quickly zipped it up. He then threw on some clothes, tripping while trying to pull his pants up. He slid his shoes on without even tying the laces.

Finn rushed back into Kurt's room and saw him packing his own suitcase.

"Has she said anything?" Finn asked worriedly.  
"She found them when she got home," Kurt replied, his voice hollow. "The cops have already been there and the coroner came and picked up the bodies."

"Shit," Finn murmured before running a hand through his messy hair.

"_Please_ tell me you packed an outfit for the funerals," Kurt said.

"I forgot," Finn muttered, sounding embarrassed.

"Hurry up and go. And then go wake up your mom and tell her we're leaving," Kurt ordered.

"Yeah. Alright," Finn said before rushing back into his room. He searched in his closet and found the suit he wore when his uncle died. He folded it like Kurt had taught him to and stuffed it into the suitcase. He then found the matching tie and shirt and put them in there as well.

"Shoes," he said to himself. He had to get on his hands and knees and dig around the bottom of his closet, but he eventually found his dress shoes and slid them in the front pocket of the suitcase.

He looked around the room and decided that he had everything he needed. Now he just had to tell his mom the news.

Finn opened his mom and stepdad's bedroom door quietly, not wanting to freak them out or something. He walked to her side of the bed and reached out to shake his mom's shoulder like he did Kurt's.

"Mom," Finn whispered. He shook a bit harder. "Mom, please wake up."

Carole opened her eyes slowly and looked up at Finn. The look on his face must have been alarming, because she sat up quickly and switched the bedside lamp on.

"Honey, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"Me and Kurt are going to Cincinnati," Finn explained quickly. "Rachel got home and found both of her dads dead. She's all alone and she's freaking out and it's not that far of a drive, so we're gonna go and be with her."

"Is she alright?" Carole asked concernedly. Finn shrugged.

"She couldn't even talk to me 'cause she was crying so hard," Finn replied, his voice growing sad.

"Oh my goodness," Carole said, shaking her head in disbelief. "Do you need me to come with you?"

"We can handle it," Finn replied. "Well, I know Kurt can." Carole nodded.

"Alright," she said, she then pulled her blankets off and climbed out of bed. "You and your brother get ready and meet me in the kitchen."

"Thanks, mom," Finn said. He reached forward and kissed her on the cheek before going back into Kurt's room. He spotted his phone on the bed.

"Why'd you hang up on her?" Finn asked, lunging for his phone.

"She said she wanted some time alone," Kurt replied, his voice less cheerful than it usually was. "I already told her that we were coming and she somehow managed to give me her address between sobs. We'll just search for it from my phone as soon as we get in the car."

"What do we do when we get there?" Finn asked. He'd never really been in this situation before.

"We're going to be there for her and help her plan the funerals," Kurt replied firmly.

"But where is she going to live? And what about school?" Finn asked worriedly. Kurt zipped up his suitcase and looked up at Finn.

"We're going to have to figure that out later," he replied somberly. "We're just gonna have to take things one step at a time."

Finn might have been older, but Kurt seemed to have more control than he did. He seemed sad but calm, and yet Finn was totally freaking out.

Kurt and Finn set their suitcases by the front door and then went into the kitchen. Carole was sitting at the dining room table, nursing a cup of coffee.

"You can take my credit card for gas money," she insisted with a smile. "If you need anything else, just try to make sure it doesn't cost too much."

"Thanks, mom," Finn said gratefully.

"Don't mention it, sweetie," Carole replied. "If you help planning the funerals or something, let me know."

"We will," Kurt said with a nod.

"And I want the two of you to try and make it back by Christmas," Carole said.

"But what about Rachel?" Finn asked. "I mean, she's Jewish, but we can't just leave her alone during the holidays."

"You can bring her here," Carole replied with a small smile. "I'd love to meet her." Carole then stood up and walked over toward her purse, grabbing out her credit card and handing it to Finn. "Be careful driving down there."

"We will, mom," Finn replied. He bent down and hugged her tightly. She then hugged Kurt.

"I'll tell Burt what's going on in the morning. I'm sure he'll understand," Carole said. She kissed them both on the cheek before they grabbed their bags and climbed into Finn's truck.

-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-

"Are you sure this is the street?" Finn asked hours later. They were driving down an unfamiliar road, trying to find Rachel's house.

"According to my phone, we're in the right place," Kurt replied. "I think that's it," he said, pointing at a large, nice brown house. "It's 1723. This is it." Finn quickly pulled into the driveway and shut his truck off.

"Let's go," Finn said, feeling a bit nervous. They both climbed out and grabbed their suitcases before walking up the path to the front door. Finn rang the doorbell and stepped back. Less than a minute later, they heard footsteps walking up to the door. Finn heard the door being unlocked before it was pulled open.

His heart then shattered into a million pieces when he finally saw Rachel. She was wearing pajama shorts and a large hoodie. Her hair was thrown up into a messy ponytail and her eyes were swollen and red like she'd been crying nonstop since early this morning. He'd never seen her look so vulnerable and sad before.

She stepped to the side so that Kurt and Finn could come in. They set their bags down the same time that Rachel closed and locked the door.

Kurt stepped forward quickly and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry," Finn heard him murmur.

"I know," Rachel replied in a small voice. "Thank you for coming." Kurt squeezed her once more before letting go.

Rachel then attempted to smile at Finn before he reached out and pulled her into his arms. He heard Rachel sigh sadly before she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him back. Finn kissed her on top of the head, but was at a loss for words. What do you say to someone that just lost their parents?

Rachel pulled away and surreptitiously wiped tears that were falling from her eyes.

"I have the number to my dads' lawyer. I still need to call him and figure out their wills and everything," she announced.

"That can wait until later," Kurt said. "You look like you haven't had any sleep." Rachel shrugged.

"It's hard to sleep," she replied.

"Just try and take a nap and then I'll help you figure everything out. You can take Finn with you," Kurt said comfortingly. Rachel looked up at Finn, who tried to smile for her benefit.

"Fine," Rachel relented. "But don't let me sleep too long. We have a lot to figure out."

"I'll come wake up the both of you in a few hours," Kurt promised. Rachel nodded and grabbed Finn's hand, pulling him behind her. They reached the stairs and Finn followed her up, his hand still holding hers tightly.

She led him into her room and he couldn't help but smile. It was yellow and there were stars and stuffed animals everywhere. The room was exactly how he pictured it would be. Rachel dropped his hand before climbing onto her bed.

"Feel free to make yourself comfortable," she said quietly. Finn pulled his coat off and threw it on a chair. He then stepped on the back of his shoes, one by one, to pull them off. As soon as he laid on the bed, Rachel scooted closely to him. Finn lifted his arm up and she rested her head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around her tightly and started tracing shapes on her arm with his fingers.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Finn asked quietly. He didn't want to push her into anything, but his mom always told him that talking about things could help someone feel better. He felt Rachel shrug.

"I came home and the house was dark," she murmured. "I went upstairs and thought my dads were sleeping, but when I turned on the light, I saw them…"

"Do you know how it happened?" Finn asked, he didn't know any of the details and he couldn't help but be curious.

"They were both shot," Rachel replied in a quiet voice.

"Someone killed them?" Finn asked quickly, sounding surprised. Rachel nodded into his chest. "Baby, I'm so sorry…"

"Before I knew they were dead, I found something," Rachel said quietly. Finn looked down at her in confusion.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Rachel shifted around a bit and grabbed something out of her hoodie pocket. She handed it to Finn, who unfolded it.

"_We will find the half siren,_" Finn read. "What the hell does that mean?"

"They were here looking for me and killed my dads," Rachel said quietly.

"Who was?" Finn asked, his mind racing.

"Hunters maybe," Rachel suggested.

"Are you sure it's safe that you're here?" Finn asked worriedly. If they were hunters, they weren't going to stop until Rachel was dead.

"Where else am I supposed to go?" Rachel whispered.

"After the funerals, you can come home with me," Finn said. "My mom already said you could if you wanted to." Rachel huffed. There were too many decisions to make and she was already having trouble thinking clearly.

"Can we just talk about this later?" Rachel pleaded. "I can't even think right now."

"Yeah," Finn replied. "Sorry." He kissed the top of her head again. "I love you," he murmured. Rachel snuggled closer into his side.

"I love you, too," she replied. "Thank you for being here for me."

"Anything for you, Rach," Finn said firmly.

-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-

The next three days were the hardest days of Rachel's entire life. She knew that her fathers were going to die one day, but she never imagined she would be dealing with their loss at the age of eighteen.

Her fathers' lawyer, who was a family friend, promised that he'd help with the financial situation. Kurt and Finn helped her plan their funerals along with assistance from a very kind funeral director. When all was said and done, Hiram and Leroy Berry were buried during an intimate Jewish ceremony.

Kurt had even organized a get together at Rachel's house for after the ceremony. They had spent the previous night baking and cooking for the guests, but Rachel wasn't looking forward to having to talk to all of her distant family members and the friends of her dads. Having to plaster on a fake smile and act like you were alright was exhausting.

In all actuality, Rachel was far from alright. When she wasn't busy planning the funerals, she would sit on the couch with Finn and Kurt, staring into space. She didn't know where she was supposed to go or what she was supposed to do.

Should she go back to school or stay in Cincinnati?

Should she sell the house? If she did, would she move to New York?

There were so many things to think about. Rachel wished that she could have someone make all of the hard decisions for her.

The night after the funeral, Rachel started crying hysterically when she realized what her fathers were going to miss.

They'd never see her graduate.

They'd never see her star on Broadway.

They'd never walk her down the aisle at her wedding.

They'd never meet their grandchildren.

Finn didn't say anything; he just held her as she cried.

-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-

Four days after the funeral, Kurt dragged Rachel and Finn to the mall, thinking that it would help to keep Rachel's mind off of things.

"You need to eat something," Kurt chastised. They were sitting at a table in the food court, waiting for Finn to come back with their lunch.

"Finn just ordered me a salad," Rachel replied.

"A side salad is an appetizer, not a meal," Kurt insisted.

"I can't help it that I'm not hungry," Rachel murmured.

"Rachel, I know you're upset," Kurt said softly. "Believe me, I do. But Finn and I are worried about you. Most of the time, you just sit there. I haven't heard you sing since before we left school. And you've got Finn freaking out, thinking he's done something wrong since you won't talk to him."

"What is there to talk about?" Rachel asked quickly. "You know I'm sad. You know I'm stressed out. Why do I need to talk about how I'm feeling when you already know?"

"You need to talk about things so that you can deal with it," Kurt replied patiently. "Talk with us about why you're stressed out and maybe we can help you fix something."

Rachel sighed before dropping her head into her hands. She was frustrated because Kurt didn't even know about everything. She couldn't tell him that her fathers were killed because someone was looking for her. It felt too dangerous to tell Kurt that there was a whole other world out there with creatures that killed humans. Rachel was also worried that if Kurt knew what she really was, he wouldn't see her the same way anymore.

She already lost her dads; she didn't want to lose her best friend.

"I talked to Carole," Kurt said. "She's still insisting that you spend the rest of break with us." Rachel lifted her head up. She might as well tell him about some of the things she was considering.

"I think I'm going to go back to school," she announced. "I could spend the break with your family, go to school for the next semester, and then maybe sell the house or something…"

"So you don't want to live here in Cincinnati?" Kurt asked curiously.

"The only reason I came back here was because of my dads," she replied quietly. "And they're gone now, so there's really no reason to stay."

"Where will you live when school's not in session?" he asked.

"Maybe New York," Rachel suggested with a shrug. "That's where my school is. And my dads both had life insurance policies along with their savings, so I'd be able to support myself there until I find a job."

"Sounds like you've been planning things without my help," Kurt said with a smile.

"I do actually think when I'm staring into space," Rachel replied, a small smile gracing her lips.

They both looked up when they saw someone walking toward them. Finn was carrying a tray full of food, carefully balancing it with one hand while his other hand held the drinks.

"You should have called for help," Rachel said, quickly standing up to grab the drinks from him.

"I had it," he insisted. "My arms are kinda long anyway." Finn sat the tray on the table before taking his seat across from Rachel. "I got this for you, too," Finn said. He grabbed something off the tray and set it in front of Rachel. "It's a vegan burrito thing. You didn't eat breakfast and I knew you'd still probably be hungry."

Rachel looked to Kurt, who was smirking.

"Thank you," Rachel replied with a tiny smile.

Rachel ate the entire burrito and the side salad so Finn and Kurt would leave her alone about it.

After they were finished eating, Rachel stopped at the bathroom while the boys went into a music store. She was washing her hands at the sink when movement out of the corner of her eye startled her.

She looked up and jumped when she saw Jesse St. James behind her with a scowl on his face. Before she could open her mouth and ask her ex what the hell he was doing in the ladies' bathroom, he lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her.

"What are you doing?" Rachel asked, sounding panicked. Jesse lifted his hand and Rachel's eyes widened when she realized he was holding a knife. He held it up to her neck and she started shaking as tears fell from her eyes.

"I know what you are," Jesse snarled. "If you yell, I'll slit your throat." Rachel whimpered but held in a scream. She watched him in the mirror and could see no compassion in his eyes.

"Why are you doing this?" Rachel whispered.

"Because you _kill_ people," Jesse replied. He pushed the knife deeper and Rachel could feel her skin being torn by the blade. All he had to do was swipe it across her neck and Rachel would die.

"I swear… I've never killed anyone," Rachel sobbed. "It's n-not what you think."

"Shut up!" Jesse demanded. "You knew it was only a matter of time until we found you. I had to wait until you were alone."

"You… you killed my dads?" Rachel cried.

"It was a warning," Jesse replied with a smirk. "I know you, Rachel. You'd appreciate the dramatics of it if it happened to someone else." Rachel's jaw dropped the same time that she felt like snapping Jesse's neck. "Now, you're going to have to come with me…" The knife moved away from her neck so that it wasn't touching her anymore.

This was her chance.

Rachel grabbed Jesse's arm and brought it to her mouth before biting it as hard as she could. Jesse screamed in pain and the knife fell from his hand, making a clattering sound as it hit the floor. Rachel tore herself from his grasp and turned around to face him.

As soon as she turned, Jesse slapped her across the face. He lunged at her again, but she brought her leg up in time to throw her knee into his balls.

Jesse let out a strangled groan before falling to the ground.

Realizing this would be her only shot to get away, Rachel jumped over Jesse and grabbed her purse off of the counter before running out of the bathroom.

The music store was right across the mall, so Rachel ran, not caring what the other mall patrons would think. She dipped into the store and spotted Finn's tall form first. She quickly jogged toward him in the rock section.

"Finn," she said breathlessly. "We have to leave. Now." Finn looked up in confusion and his eyes zeroed in on the deep cut on her neck.

"What happened?" he asked in alarm, raising his hand up toward the wound.

"I'll explain once we're in the car. We have to leave," she said impatiently.

"O-okay," Finn replied. He was confused, but he grabbed her hand and led her to the back of the store where Kurt was.

"There you are!" Kurt said. Then, he saw the blood. "How did that happen?" he asked quickly.

"She said she'll explain later," Finn replied. "Let's go."

"But-" Kurt started.

"Dude, I'm serious," Finn said in a flat voice.

"Fine," Kurt relented. Finn and Rachel led the way out of the music store with a puzzled Kurt following behind.

Rachel looked around frantically as they walked out of the mall and into the parking lot. She expected Jesse to pop out from behind a car and kill her on the spot. Finn could tell how nervous she was as they walked to her car, so he squeezed her hand reassuringly.

They all quickly climbed into Rachel's car, with Finn in the driver's seat, Rachel sitting in the passenger seat, and Kurt taking the back. Finn pulled the car out of the parking space smoothly.

"You wanna tell me what's going on now?" Finn asked worriedly.

"I ran into Jesse," Rachel explained. She pulled down the sun visor and lifted the flap up to use the mirror. Her neck was still bleeding, so she opened the glove compartment and pulled out some tissues before pressing them to her wound.

"Your ex?" Finn asked, sounding even more confused than before.

"Yes," Rachel replied. "He cornered me in the bathroom."

"Is he the one that did that to your neck?" Kurt asked.

"Yes," she said again.

"Why the hell would he do that to you?" Finn snapped, his voice sounding murderous. Rachel peeked over at Finn before looking forward again.

"He said that he knew what I was," she said in a low voice. She heard Finn cuss under his breath.

"What are you talking about?" Kurt asked. She looked over at Finn. His eyes met hers for a second and he shrugged. She knew he meant that they should tell Kurt.

Rachel turned in her seat as much as possible with the seatbelt still clicked into place.

"Kurt, I'm half siren," she said in a serious tone. Kurt's eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"Like the mythical creatures that lure men in with their voices?" he asked.

"Exactly," Rachel replied, glad that she didn't have to explain what they were.

"But Rachel, those are _mythical_, meaning they aren't real," Kurt insisted.

"Dude, she's telling the truth," Finn said firmly. Kurt shook his head.

"But this is crazy!" Kurt laughed.

"Kurt, you might think it's crazy, but I'm telling you the truth," Rachel persisted. "My mother was a siren, so I'm a half siren. Jesse, my ex, grabbed me in the bathroom and said that he wanted to take me somewhere… Probably to kill me like he did my dads." Finn turned his head quickly to her.

"Did he actually say that?" Finn asked in a low voice.

"He said it was a warning," Rachel replied with a nod. Before she could get upset again, she turned back to Kurt. "I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, but once I get the chance, I'll answer any questions you have."

Kurt leaned his head against the headrest and looked up at the ceiling of the car.

"I just… I don't know," he murmured.

"Just take some time to think about it, I guess," Rachel said. She was hoping that he'd take it coolly like Finn did; it seemed like it wouldn't be that easy this time around.

"Uh, Rach?" Finn said, sounding uneasy.  
"What?" Rachel asked, confused by his tone. She watched as he glanced up at the rearview mirror every couple of seconds.

"Someone's following us."

TBC

-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-

A/N: Thanks for reading thus far! I appreciate it more than I can say :) Feel free to leave me a review, too!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I still don't own anything.

The Siren's Song: Chapter Four

Rachel glanced out the back window and saw a large, black SUV right on their tail.

_How cliché_, Rachel thought.

"It's probably Jesse," Rachel guessed.

"What do we do?" Finn asked, anxiously glancing at the rearview mirror.

"You're the one that watches all of those action movies," Rachel replied, sounding worried.

"Try and lose him," Kurt piped up from the backseat. "You're from here, Rachel. Take some weird back roads or something." Rachel nodded and tried to force herself to focus.

"First, drive faster," Rachel said. "This car can go pretty fast."

"And how would you know that?" Finn asked curiously.

"I was almost late for a ballet lesson once," Rachel explained. Finn laughed and Kurt snorted from the back seat. Finn stepped on the gas and the car sped up considerably. Rachel looked around, trying to remember where they were.

"Turn right at the next intersection," she ordered. Finn sped up even more and quickly turned right where Rachel said. "Now turn left up here." Finn did as he was told, still driving dangerously fast. Rachel peeked behind them again and couldn't see that black car anywhere.

"Did we lose him?" Kurt asked, sounding hopeful.

"I still think we should put more distance between us," Rachel said. "Finn, go down two blocks, turn right, and then park somewhere."

"Are we close to your house?" Finn asked.

"We're a couple of blocks away," Rachel replied. "I think it would be better if we walk there, but go through the neighbor's yards and go in the back door."

"My girl's so smart," Finn said fondly. Kurt made a gagging noise from the backseat and Rachel resisted the urge to take off her shoe and throw it at him.

By the time they parked the car, Rachel was growing more and more nervous. What if Jesse was at her house, just waiting for her to show up? She didn't want to lead Finn and Kurt into a dangerous situation, but she certainly didn't want to go there alone.

Kurt had the most trouble climbing fences in Rachel's neighbors backyards, so he slowed them down quite a bit.

"This jeans cost me a hundred dollars," Kurt complained.

"You're the one that fell into mud," Finn snapped. "No one pushed you off the top of the fence."

"I can't help it I lost my footing," Kurt shot back. "I didn't think we'd be climbing fences today. If I had known, I wouldn't have worn dress shoes!"

"Can you two just stop?" Rachel asked. "We're almost there and I'm freaking out enough as it is." It was quiet for a few moments.

"Sorry," Finn muttered.

"Me, too," Kurt added.

"It's fine, just… stay focused," Rachel replied.

They soon hopped the last fence and were in Rachel's backyard. She jogged to the back door and pulled her keys out of her purse. Once the door was unlocked, she pushed it open slowly.

"Let me go first," Finn insisted. Rachel stepped to the side and Finn walked into the house first. Rachel followed closely behind with Kurt bringing up the rear.

They all walked quickly and quietly through the house, trying to listen for someone moving around upstairs or something.

"I don't think anyone's here," Finn said once they reached the living room.

"Thank goodness," Kurt gasped.

"We need to grab our things and then leave," Rachel said. "We'll take your truck," she said, pointing to Finn, "and drop Kurt off at my car so he can drive it to Lima."

"Why am I driving your car?" Kurt asked worriedly.

"They can't see me in it," Rachel replied. "And Finn won't let you drive his truck."

"I sure as hell won't," Finn muttered.

"What if they run me off the road or something?" Kurt asked worriedly. Rachel stopped and thought.

"We can switch her license plate with the one on her dads' car. It'll be the same kind of car but with a guy driving and a different license plate," Finn said. Rachel and Kurt looked up at him, totally surprised. "I saw it on a movie once," he explained.

"My boyfriend's so clever," Rachel said with a smile.

"That's my cue to leave," Kurt said quickly. He went up the stairs and toward the guest room where he had been staying.

"That's still bleeding a bit," Finn said, pointing to the cut on her neck.

"We'll worry about it later," Rachel said dismissively. "We need to get our stuff together before Jesse shows up." Finn nodded and Rachel started to walk up the stairs with Finn following her.

Realizing that she might not come back again before school started, Rachel grabbed most of her clothes to take with her. Granted, she now had three large suitcases full of her things, but she now had everything she'd need.

She helped Finn carry their things down to the garage where his truck was sitting. Kurt came down a few minutes later and added his things to the large pile in the truck bed.

Rachel then walked around the house and made sure that all of the lights and everything were off. She walked around her room once more to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything important.

She grabbed a framed picture of her with her fathers before walking back down to the garage.

-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-

"How'd you get away from Jesse?" Finn asked curiously. They were on the highway and heading to Lima with Kurt following behind in Rachel's car. They hadn't seen a black SUV yet and were now more relaxed.

"I bit his arm so that he'd drop the knife," Rachel explained. "I got away from him, but he slapped me, so I hit him as hard as I could in the, um… groin area."

"You kicked him in the balls?" Finn asked incredulously.

"I didn't want to use such crass language, but yes," Rachel said.

"Who knew you were such a badass?" Finn chuckled.

"I never had to try and be one before," Rachel replied with a shrug. "How long do you think we'll be safe at your mom's house?" she asked worriedly.

"Honestly, I don't know," Finn replied. "I mean, my license plate says I'm from Ohio, and it's a pretty big state, so I don't know if it'll be that easy to find us. And Jesse never knew me or Kurt, so I don't think he knows where we're from."

"He probably knows that I go to NYU though," Rachel murmured.

"Well yeah, but I'll be there," Finn said. He reached out and grabbed her hand. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"What if I get cornered in another bathroom again?" she asked worriedly. "Or what if he finds out about you and goes to your dorm and kills you like he did my dads?" Her voice was starting to become more and more frantic.

"Babe, calm down," Finn said softly. "For now, we're safe. And we'll be careful."

"But I don't want to die, Finn!" Rachel shouted. "And I don't want anyone else to die, either!" Finn looked over at her and their eyes met for a second before he turned back to the road.

"No one's going to die, Rach," he said firmly. "I promise."

Rachel wanted to tell him that he shouldn't make promises that he couldn't keep. Jesse was unpredictable and obviously dangerous; he held a knife to her throat less than two hours ago! But she worried about Finn and Kurt more than she did herself.

Her fathers were killed because hunters were looking for her. If the same thing happened to Finn and Kurt, she couldn't live with herself.

There was already too much blood on her hands.

Hours later, they pulled up to Finn and Kurt's house. Rachel noticed that it was smaller than hers, but it certainly looked more comfortable than hers did.

Finn decided to just grab the bags later and walked with Rachel hand in hand to the front door. They heard Kurt pull in with Rachel's car just as Finn opened the door.

"Mom?" Finn yelled into the house. Rachel followed him inside and couldn't help but smile. Her house looked expensively decorated, but Finn's house looked like an actual family lived there. It was adorable and she wondered how she would ever bring herself to leave.

Kurt walked in behind them and shut the door just as an older, beautiful woman came walking into the room.

"Finn!" she said happily. Still holding Rachel's hand, Finn reached forward and hugged his mom. "Why didn't you call first?" she asked as she let go.

"We didn't exactly plan on leaving quite so soon," Kurt admitted. He squeezed past Finn and Rachel and kissed Carole on the cheek before walking up the stairs. Rachel guessed he was going to change his muddy pants.

"Mom, this is Rachel," Finn said, sounding proud. Rachel beamed up at Carole, who quickly pulled Rachel into a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, sweetie," Carole whispered into her ear. Rachel had heard that saying so much over the last few days, but she could tell that Carole actually meant it.

"Thank you," Rachel replied just as quietly. Carole pulled back and looked at Rachel up and down.

"You're much smaller and more beautiful than Finn described," Carole said with a smile, making Rachel laugh lightly. "But what happened there?" she asked. She reached out and grabbed Rachel's chin lightly before lifting it up to look at the cut on her neck.

"Um, I was…" Rachel looked up at Finn, hoping he would say something.

"Scratched by a stray cat," Finn said quickly. Rachel decided to just go with it.

"Right," Rachel agreed. "I was petting a cat that I found on my street. As soon as I looked up at Finn, it scratched me." Carole grabbed Rachel's hand and tugged her away from Finn.

"Have you cleaned it yet?" Carole asked. "Animal bites and scratches can get infected very easily."

"I haven't had the chance to yet," Rachel admitted. She went with Carole, who led her into the kitchen. She pulled out a chair.

"Sit right here and I'll get something to clean that," Carole said.

"Thank you," Rachel replied with a small smile. Carole returned the smile and then walked out of the kitchen quickly, passing Finn.

"Good idea with the whole cat scratching me thing," Rachel said with a smile. Finn chuckled.

"It was the only thing I could think of," Finn admitted. "We could have said you were mugged, but she'd probably yell at me for not calling her and telling her about it or something." Rachel giggled.

"Your mom is lovely," she said quietly.

"Yeah, she's pretty awesome," Finn agreed.

Carole shooed Finn out of the way when she came into the kitchen with a first aid kit in her hands. Rachel sat there patiently as Carole cleaned the wound, wincing slightly when it was dabbed with alcohol. Carole smoothed it over with liquid stitches before looking at her handiwork.

"There. All better, sweetie," Carole said.

"Thanks again," Rachel replied.

"Oh, don't mention it," Carole insisted. "Is there anything in particular you kids want for dinner?" she asked. As Finn and Carole talked about dinner possibilities, Rachel couldn't help but sit back and smile.

Being around Carole is what Rachel imagined having a mother was like. Not a siren-mother, but a real mother. One that cleaned your scrapes when you were hurt, offered to make you a special dessert, and loved you no matter what.

-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-

When Burt came home from work, he hugged Rachel like she was already a part of the family. Being hugged by him reminded Rachel of being hugged by her dads and it took everything she had not to cry. They didn't bring up her dads at dinner, which she greatly appreciated. Thinking about them was hard enough, talking about them would just bring another round of tears.

"Do we know where everyone's sleeping?" Carole asked in the middle of dinner.

"I can take the couch and Rachel can have my bed," Finn offered.

"That's very sweet of you-" Rachel began.

"But unnecessary," Kurt interrupted. "There's more than enough room for Rachel to share my bed with me."

"I forgot that the short one got the king size bed," Finn grumbled, making Rachel laugh. Rachel thought that her first dinner with Finn's parents would be slightly awkward, but it wasn't at all. They involved her in the conversation and made her feel like she had known them her entire life rather than just a few hours.

"You have the loveliest voice," Carole gushed as Rachel helped her clear the dirty dishes from the table. "I was completely blown away when I saw that video of the musical. I'm sure you'll do fantastic on Broadway."

"Thank you," Rachel replied, blushing a little.

"I hope that you'll send me tickets to your first show."

"Of course I will," Rachel said. "All of you will be welcome to as many shows as you want." They then did the dishes together, laughing and chatting like old friends.

That night, Rachel was surprised to find out that Kurt's nighttime ritual was more elaborate than hers was. Of course, she had cut down on the number of steps since high school, but it still took her a good twenty minutes before she was ready for bed.

Kurt didn't lie down until an hour after she did.

-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-

Rachel woke up with a gasp and sat up quickly, confused at the unfamiliar surroundings. She looked next to her and spotted Kurt, who was sleeping soundly. She then remembered everything that had happened over the last couple of weeks, including the death of her fathers, which had been the nightmare that had woke her up. Again.

Kurt was a great roommate, but she needed someone else to sleep beside right now.

She climbed out of Kurt's bed and tiptoed across the floor. She winced when Kurt's door squeaked as she opened it. Once it was opened wide enough, she squeezed through and shut it quietly. Finn's room was right across the hall, so she walked with light footsteps, hoping that she didn't hit the squeaky parts of the floor.

She eventually made it to Finn's room and snuck inside, closing his door behind her.

"Finn," she whispered. When that didn't elicit a response, she whispered more loudly. "Finn!"

She huffed when Finn still laid there, snoring slightly with his jaw wide open. She then decided to just climb into the bed. Finn was lying on his side, so squeezing in beside him wasn't too difficult. She rolled onto her side and pulled the blankets up over her and then scooted closer to her boyfriend.

Her butt accidentally brushed against his… _groin_, which caused him to stir.

"Rachel?" he murmured.

"Who else would it be?" Rachel whispered. Finn chuckled lightly before wrapping his arm around her and tugging her closer to him.

"Hey, baby," he said quietly before kissing her hair.

"Hi," Rachel murmured. "I had another nightmare."

"Sorry," he replied.

"Don't be," she insisted softly. "That just means I get to sleep with you now." Finn chuckled quietly again.

"I'm not sorry then," he replied. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Rachel replied. She snuggled into her boyfriend some more before her eyes eventually closed.

-GLEE-GLEE-GLEE-

Rachel Berry didn't want others to think that she was a burden. So, instead of sitting around the Hudmel house, which she nicknamed, she helped keep the place spotless. Most nights, she assisted Carole in making dinner unless she made it herself. Burt soon became a fan of her banana bread like Finn was; if she was going to make it, she had to make at least two loaves to appease everyone.

Her dads' lawyer had even called and announced that the insurance came through and that he opened a bank account for Rachel, which she now had complete access to.

Carole and Kurt had even tried to insist on celebrating at least one night of Hanukkah, but Rachel couldn't bring herself to celebrate the holiday without her fathers.

"Maybe next year," she promised them.

Since they weren't celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas decorations littered the house. She had gone with Finn and picked out the perfect tree, which had taken them almost an hour to locate in the Christmas tree lot. Finn even helped her to put the star on the top of the tree since stars were kind of her thing.

She had been staying with Finn's family for a little more than a week when she woke up to an empty bed. Rachel looked at Kurt's alarm clock and saw that it was only a little after six in the morning. Kurt usually didn't wake up until at least eight.

Rachel got dressed for the day, wearing a festive green dress (that Kurt actually liked) and a pair of black flats. She walked down the hallway to the bathroom and brushed through her hair before applying just the tiniest bit of makeup.

Once she was ready for the day, she exited the bathroom and decided to peek in on Finn. Some might have thought it was creepy, but Finn was just too adorable when he slept. She opened his door slowly, not wanting to wake him up.

His bed was empty.

First, Kurt was missing from his bed and now Finn was missing from his.

_The siren hunters!_ Rachel thought. Before she let herself totally lose her mind, she decided to check the rest of the house.

She walked down the stairs slowly, not wanting to startle someone if they were in the middle of kidnapping her boyfriend and best friend. She didn't know what she would do if they _were_ being kidnapped, but plenty of heavy things lying around could be used as weapons.

Once she reached the bottom of the stairs, she jumped when she heard a crash coming from the kitchen. Rachel frantically looked around and grabbed the first thing she spotted – an umbrella. She held it up like a baseball bat and walked toward where the noise came from. She heard people whispering, but she couldn't quite make out what they were saying.

Her heart was pounding as she walked toward the wall of the dining room. All she had to do was peek around the corner…

"Rachel!" Finn said excitedly, making her jump. She then breathed a sigh of relief when she saw both Finn and Kurt in the kitchen, making a mess by the look of things. "What are you doing with an umbrella?" Finn asked.

"Neither of you were in your beds, so I thought something bad happened," she explained. With a sigh, she set the umbrella down and leaned it against the wall.

"You were planning on coming to our rescue with an _umbrella_?" Kurt asked, looking thoroughly amused.

"It was the first thing I found," Rachel said, denying the urge to pick the umbrella back up and hit him with it.

"I feel _so _safe," Kurt laughed. Rachel glared at him before turning her attention to Finn, who was mixing something in a bowl.

"What are the two of you doing up this early anyway?" she asked, walking toward Finn.

"We're making vegan pancakes," Finn said with a smile.

"That's very sweet, but why?"

"Don't tell me you forgot what today is," Kurt said, rolling his eyes.

"What's today?" Rachel asked. Finn suddenly leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

"It's your birthday," he said with childlike excitement. Rachel glanced at the calendar on the fridge. And there it was. December 18th.

She forgot about her own birthday. Any other year, she would make a countdown and remind her fathers every morning how many days were left until she was a year older.

Priorities change when you get older.

"This is very sweet of both of you," Rachel said with a smile. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Finn on the cheek before walking over to Kurt and doing the same thing to him. Although her fathers weren't there with her to celebrate, Kurt and Finn managed to still make the start of her birthday special.

Finn ended up taking a nap that afternoon from being up so early. He fell asleep on the couch with Rachel wrapped in his arms as they watched some silly cartoon that Finn liked. Rachel smiled as she lay next to Finn, basking in the fact that this was her first birthday being celebrated with a boyfriend that loved her.

As a surprise, Burt and Carole took everyone to a restaurant called Breadstix that night for Rachel's birthday. When they got back to the Hudmel house, Carole further surprised her with a vegan cake. She blushed with embarrassment when everyone sang her "Happy Birthday." It was quite difficult not to tell Burt that he was a little pitchy.

"This entire day has been amazing," Rachel said as she lay on Finn's bed. He was stretched out next to her, holding her hand tightly.

"I'm glad you had a good birthday," Finn replied. She could tell by his voice that he was smiling.

"It was one of the best," she admitted. Rachel then rolled on her side and smiled at her boyfriend. He turned his head and smiled at her. "It was amazing in part because I celebrated it with you."

Finn smiled Rachel's favorite half smile before leaning in closer until their lips touched. His lips were so soft against hers and she never wanted to stop kissing him. Rachel sucked on his bottom lip gently, making Finn groan. He rolled onto his side and pressed himself closer to her, making Rachel's body hum with electricity.

As Finn took Rachel's tongue into his mouth, she lifted her leg up and hitched it over his hip. Finn opened his eyes in surprise and pulled away slightly.

"It's okay," Rachel reassured him with a tiny smile. She grabbed his hand and placed it on her bare leg. Goosebumps erupted on her skin as Finn slowly ran his hand up the length of her leg. When he hit her upper thigh, Rachel practically attacked his lips with her own. His hand soon covered her ass and he squeezed tightly, making Rachel moan into his mouth.

Finn was about to grind his lower body into hers when a loud noise outside of his door startled the two of them. Rachel quickly pulled away and sat up, running her fingers through her hair before smoothing out her dress.

"Wow," she heard Finn gasp. She turned and looked down at him, only to see him smiling lazily. "That was hot," he chuckled.

"I enjoyed it, too," Rachel admitted, blushing profusely. "But I'm afraid we can't do that again with a full house. Anyone could have walked in…"

"You're right," Finn agreed with a pout. "I might be twenty, but I think that would piss mom and Burt off a bit."

"Well, we'll be going back to campus soon," Rachel said with a sly smile.

"And you don't have a roommate," Finn said with a wink, making Rachel giggle. He sat up and kissed Rachel's forehead before standing up. "I forgot to give you your birthday present."

"Finn, you didn't have to get me anything," Rachel insisted. Finn walked over to his desk and pulled something out of the top drawer before walking back over to Rachel.

"Well, I wanted to," he said with a shrug. He handed the long box over to her. She smiled at the wrapping paper that was decorated with Santa Claus. "I hope you're not offended by the wrapping paper 'cause I know you're Jewish, but it's all my mom had…"

"It's perfect, Finn," Rachel reassured him. She tore off the wrapping paper excitedly and pulled out a long, black box. She lifted the lid and gasped.

Inside was a beautiful necklace with a tiny gold star on the end.

"Finn…" she murmured.

"When I told you I was going to the auto parts store with Burt, I really went to get that," Finn admitted. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"This is amazing," she said.

"Stand up," Finn said gently. Rachel stood and Finn gently grabbed her shoulders before gently turning her around so that her back was facing him. He reached around her and grabbed the necklace out of the box before putting it around her neck. Rachel moved her hair out of the way and Finn clasped it. "There," he murmured. Rachel dropped her hair and turned back around.

"How does it look?" she asked, looking from the tiny star up to him.

"It looks amazing on you," he replied. Rachel smiled widely before wrapping her arms around his midsection and hugging him tightly.

"Thank you so much," she whispered.

"You're welcome," he replied. He dropped another kiss on the top of her head. "Happy Birthday."

TBC

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A/N: There's more action and drama coming up. Don't worry :) I had to end this one on a happy note since two of the other chapters were cliffhangers! Reviews are welcome either here or on Twitter ( singntheshower). Thank you so much for reading!


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